Improvement in thrashing-machines



naar sata aient dtjhiirr.

MATTHIAS FUOS, 0F CASTROVILLE'l E-X A"S.

Letters Patent N 107,355, datezl'Septcmlfcr 13, 1870.

'.,IMPRQVBMENT I N T HRAsHING-MAHINES.

lThe Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom yit may concern Beit known that I,l\IA'rTH1AS l1US,-ot` Castroville, in the county of Medina 'and' State Iof lrlenas,

have invented certain new and. useful vImprovements on Thrashing-Machinery'; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and 'exact description thereof, reference being had to thc accompanying drawing makingI part of this specification', in which- Figure l, plato 1., is a perspective view of the improved machine, without the blast-chimney, and with a portion of one side of the frame removed to expose the thrashing-drum and concave.

Figure 2, plate 1, anc end. views ofitho thrashingdrum and concave. Y v

' Figure 3, plate l, is a sectional vicwyinodetail, show'- ing the mode of constructing the 'ribs'and applying them to the concave. f

Figure 4, plate v1, is aperspcctiro view of one of the ribs of theconeave.

Figure 5, plate 2, is a sectionl taken longitudinally and vertically throughthe center of the machine, with the blast-chimney attached.

Figure 6, plate 2,.is a top view of the machine,-with blast-chi|nneydetached, and a portion of the shell of the concave brolen away to expose the backs of the an obtuse angular front surface and a receding curvedor convex back surface, said druln'ibeing also constructed light near its center, and heavier at and near irs circumierence, for the purpose of causing it toro-r tate steadily, and withtlie greatest amount of momentum, as will be hereinafterexplained.

Second, in the arrangement, above the rotary thrashing-drum, of a concave cap, which is provided with ribs, extending from ono end to the other, and constructed with flat rectilinear thrashing sides and convox backs, and so arranged, with relation to the thrashing sides of the ribs on said drum, as tooperate to the best advantage in thrashing grain, without injury to the straw, as will be hereinafter explained.'

Third, in the construction of the concave cap of separate ribs, arranged together in parallel lines and securely comined to braces applied .upon a sheet-metal d backing, and in making the lribs with grooved or hol` low backs, whereby lightness Aand strength are obtained, as will be hereinafter explained.

Foul-th, in .the construction ofjfeed-rollers with bands applied spirally to their peripheries, in such.

manner as to afford a uniform feed across the entire width of the machine.

"lo enable others skilled int the art to understand` iny invention, I' willdescribe its construction and operation.

ln the accompanying drawing- A represents a frame, which'is adapted for support' ing the several devices constituting the improved ma v chine.

At one end of this frame, and sustained by suitable journallboxes, N N, is the thrashing-drum B, on' the ends of the journals of whiclrbelt-wheels lV W" are keyed, as shown in tig. 5.

The belt-wheel W receives thedriving-belt, and the belt-wheel W1 communicates motion to a wheel, H2,

ou one end of a feed-roller, H, through the medium of a belt, 11. rl`he feed-roller H is arranged in a horizontal plane parallel to the axis of thetln'ashing-drum, and in front of this drum, and above this roller,fis another feedlroller, H1, betweenwhich two rollers the material to be thrashedis conducted on' its way from the table 'l to vthe thrashing devices. I

Above the thrashingfdrum is arranged thecoucave -cap C, having ribs or -shoulderson its under surface, which operate in conjunction with the shouldered ribs on the drum, for thrashing the grain from the straw. 'Beneath the thrashing-drum "B is an inclined plane, A', on which the thrashed material falls, and' from which. thisproduct escapes out of the machine."

The drum B- is made hollow, and constructed interiorly in anysuitable manner, seas to obtain the re'- quired degree of strength and lightness. This drum 'is made comparatively7 light at and near its center, and

'heavier at and near its circumference, so' as to obtain the requireddegree of momentum 'to alforda steady 'andregularmotion This effect is augmented bythe addition of metal face-plates to the periphery of the drum and to the front and convex surfaces of the ribs a, which are scvcured toI the heads of the drum in a substantial inanner, and are arranged, at regular intervals apart, around this drum,-extending from one end to vthe other, pai'- allel to its axis.

Each rib, a, is faced bya steel plate, l), whichcovers` its front and convex sides, and aifords durability and smoothness to these surfaces.

lThe circumference of the drum between the ribs is also covered by thin plates, c, which may be of sheet metal. y

` in short arms g y.

s side,

In cross-section the acting surface e (sce fig. 2) of each rib a. is in a plane, yforming an obtuse angle to the periphery of the drum, or, in other words, the plane of the face c is tangent to the circumference ot' a circle described within the drinn B, and concentric therewith.

rLhe outer surface, ci, of each rib c is convex, and

inclined backward, as shown `in fig.2,so that the rear i straps, and are secured to the latter by means ot' bolts andnutsf. v v

Each rib L is made with ailat surface,'1, and a convex surface, l'. The flat surface l of cach rib has a deviation from an obtuse angle of about four inches extremities ot the concave cap G, terminate in arms I) D, and the front ends of said straps It-,R terminate The longer arms, l), have their rear c nds turned downwardly, and perforated, and through these portions screws, E, pass.

Thesescrews work in' nuts on the lower ends of the rods. l", at the rear of the frame A, and, to these screws, the arms 1). are secured by shoulders and nuts,

Aor inany other suitable manner. This attachment et' the arms I) to the rods' F will admit the forward or ,Y backward adjustment of the concave cap by turning the screws E. i

'lhe rods F depend'from a cross-bar offramc A, and are held by nuts, by`adjusting which the arms D and their end of the concave can be adjusted vertically.`

The shortest arms, g y, receive screws, G G, through them, which are stepped on. the removable post-caps t t, so as to sustain the concaveon these caps. Thus it will be seen that the concave cap C 1ests,by its own gravity, uponthe front posts ot' the li'ame .A at one and that itmis sustained at thc opposite side by the arms D, screws E, and rods F.

The two feed-rollers H H, between .which thematerial is fed tothe thrashing devices from the table T, have their end bearings 4in the. front posts of the frame A.

The lower feed-roller, 1I,l1as its end bearings in journal-blocks, fitted into vertical recesses Imade into the upper ends of the front posts ot' the frame A, aud

the upper feed-roller, H, has its end bearings in per`A forated tubes or cylinders, which rest on thc boxes of the lower roller, 11. roller, H, is`free to rise and descend while'it is` being turned by the lower feed-roller, acting through tubes `or cylinders which rest on the boxes'of the lower roller, H. By this arrangement the upper roller, H1, is free to rise and descend while it isV being turned by By this arrangement the upper4 the lower feed-roller, acting through the medium of the material which is being moved between the rollers. Each feed-roller hastwo, three, or more, narrow bands, h., (preferably-made of steel,) wound spirally around it, extending from one end to the other of the roller, and rising from its surface a short distance.

The bands 7l. of the upper roller are wound around it in a direction opposite lto that of the lower roller, f so that the two sets of bauds meet each other, when l `vin operation, wit-h a drawing movement, like the blades of a pairot'ycommou scissors. These rollers, with their spiral bands, will feed the material to b'e thrashed between the drum and its concave in a very uniform manner, and enable a person lia-vingvery little experience with the machine to feed itsuccessfully.

The front ends ofV the two intermediate straps R R of .the concave cap C are tui-'ned upward, and thus adapted to receive staples on the back of a chimney,

J,.and to support such chimney in the position indicated in iig. 5. The chimney J will carry o the dust .and other light particles which escape from beneath the front of the concave cap, and thereby, in a. great measure, protect the person stationed at the feedtable T.

I am aware that, ill the year 1834, Sylvanus Leonard obtained Letters latent ot' the United States for a tlu'ashilig-machine, in which he employed a rotaryr tln'asher, having long beveled teeth or serrations formed on its periphery, and extended from end to end of it, and I do notelnim such a contrivance as my involition. ,t i

I am also aware that Nelson Palmer obtained Let- -ters Patent o n a thrasher, wherein he employed a yielding concave which would, in4 a measure, accommodate itself to the varying amount of material passed between it and the thrashing-drnm. I do not, therefore, claim suoli a concave as is shown by Nelson lalmei'.

Having described my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The thrashing-machine cylinder herein shown, composed of the vribs c, metal sheathing b c, an'd wood supports BA B, the said ribs ot' the cylinder, with the lnetal sheathing,being shaped as shown atfc b, co1 c2, and applied as represented, all for thepurpose set forth.

' 2. Athlashing-cylinder, having its ribsaud'sheathin g constructed as shown and described, in cinnbina-r tion with the concave G,1n'ovided'witb ribslL l-l, constructed as described, all for the purpose set forth.

:3. The ribs L of the concave, constructed as described, and applied as set forth. 4

y4.. The ribs L of the concave, when made with an oblique but straight side, 7, and a convex side, l', as .shown and described. i

5. The combination, wit-h the concavecap C, made adjustable, as. described, of the ribs L, constructed ref spectively as described.

6. The combination of the spirallyribbed feed-roller H 111l hh, ribbed thrashiiig-cylinder B, ribbed concave '0, and spout J, all arranged and operating in the manner herein described.

MATTHIAS FUOS.

Witnesses:

WM. STmcitLun, Jos. Kenra. 

